Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:

Concerning your recent article on the copyright protection of entertainment… To the Editor:

Concerning your recent article on the copyright protection of entertainment material suspected of having been illegally obtained and then stored on student computers, the University has not received any subpoenas from the Recording Industry Association of America. In the event that the University receives a subpoena, the Office of General Counsel will review it, as it reviews all subpoenas it receives, for legal sufficiency. Office of General Counsel will ensure that the University complies with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and other pertinent laws.

Also upon receipt of a subpoena, any student or students affected will be notified. This notification would enable the student or students in question to contest the subpoena in a fairly short time frame, should that student or students wish. Such a notification would also be in compliance with FERPA – the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

The motion picture and recording industries have escalated activities to identify violations of copyright law. Pitt’s Computing Services and Systems Development is responsible for identifying the owners of the machines containing copyright-protected material that is suspected of having been illegally obtained and confirming that the material has been removed from computers connected to the University’s network.

As they relate to students, notifications of copyright infringements are primarily received for students connected through a university’s residence halls. When a copyright infringement notice is received, and CSSD has confirmed the owner of the machine in question, this individual’s network access from the residence halls will be disabled until the material is removed.

The individual will be sent a letter and an e-mail message informing him or her of the procedures required to restore network access.

Printed materials about copyright infringement issues will be posted and distributed in the residence halls, and Residential Consultants are available to provide computer support and serve as a resource for students requiring additional information.

Yours truly,

Robert Hill

Robert Hill is Pitt’s Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs.